To See Through the True Eyes
by 4thFromTheFurnace
Summary: When Yusei becomes the hospital's next ER patient, Aki becomes convinced that she's the last person that Yusei wants to see. -YuseixAki-


**Part of my Christmas Gift Fic Bonanza! If I owned Yu-Gi-Oh 5D's, there are characters that probably wouldn't need to exist, with all due respect.**

She could feel her palms starting to get clammy as she paced back and forth in front of the door. If only she had been there. If only she had showed up a bit sooner. Then maybe this never would have happened. Instead, she would be sitting on the worn-out couch sipping a cup of cheap tea, watching Yusei fool with his Duel Runner or invent something that she would have no idea how to use. But no, of course not. He just had to go off and-

At that, the door opened, and the man in the white coat appeared, followed by a younger woman. Aki rushed to the man's side as fast as she could, anxiously awaiting news. The man explained that she'd have to wait a while, as the woman watched Aki's expressions, giving a coy smile. Still, even after what seemed to her like days of operation, they still weren't sure of his condition. Recovery time, they said. Sighing, she had sulked back over to a bench nearby.

As time lolled by, everything seemed to go in slow motion. A couple hours dragged on; though, as usual, it seemed like days.

What would happen if-no, she couldn't think about that. Everything would work out. It had to. It wasn't like these things had not happened to him before. By now, she had heard about when he first dueled Kiryu and the shard of glass that had impaled itself into his abdomen. But this was different.

This was all his fault. If he had just been where he was supposed to be, or if he had stayed home, or maybe if he had just left a couple minutes earlier, then everything would be all right. Who was she kidding? This was her fault. She knew that he had better stuff to do. But ever since he started helping her, it had become a habit. And, especially now, she had thought…Why did she have to-

"Aki?! You're here!"

Her head jerked to where she had heard her name. Crow grinned at her, though still looking a bit perplexed. Behind Crow were Jack and Bruno, followed by Martha. Jack just gave her an acknowledging nod. Bruno glanced at her and smiled, but otherwise ignored her.

Martha walked up to her and clasped her hands, "Don't you have school right now?" she asked, though her voice suggested that she really didn't care about that, she was genuinely concerned. For Yusei, Aki suspected. But there was something about the way Martha looked at her that told her that the woman really cared about her.

Aki absently shook her head, not bothering to give any explanation. She could barely muster up enough thought process to think of how to formulate words, let alone think about what she was going to say.

With that, the door to the hospital room opened and a nurse popped her head out and grinned in their direction, "Mr. Fudou's awake!"

Steadily, the small group gravitated toward Yusei's room and slowly filed through the doorway. By the time Aki rose from her seat, she had to assume a spot at the back of the line. As she almost to a spot where she could see the duelist's hospital bed, the nurse grasped her by the shoulder, "Sorry, miss, there shouldn't be more than four other people in the room with the patient, you'll have to wait outside or come back later."

Aki was flabbergasted. She had been waiting outside that room for five hours, twenty-seven minutes, and four seconds, and now they weren't going to let her see him! Aki gave a frustrated huff and nearly stomped over to the bench and plopped down. Of course they would let everyone else see him. Everyone else had known Yusei longer than she had, except Bruno, who Yusei was closer with anyway.

Here she had sat for hours until her backside was numb just to see him, and now she wouldn't get to see him at all. This was all her fault. If he somehow didn't recover, she would never even get to apologize. She knew it would hurt her to see him, but it was better than the hurt she felt when she didn't see him.

It was just as well. Yusei cared about them more, he spent more time with them, and she was only an afterthought. She considered him to be the one that saved her, yet he probably didn't even recognize it. After all, he had so many other people to save, why would she be special at all? He would do the same thing for anyone else.

He was a celebrity, not to mention he saved the world, and was on the way to saving it again, probably. Why would an insignificant female duelist such as herself be of any impact to someone like that? That wouldn't make any sense.

She gritted her teeth. Now what would she do? She didn't feel like playing cards with anyone, no matter who it was. A sigh escaped her lips. As she slowly stood and brushed off her skirt, she tightened her lips and made a resolution. She couldn't believe she was going to do this, but she resolved to go home and do homework. Maybe it would take her mind off of everything.

Straightening her back, Aki slowly began to walk down the hall, her heels clacking on the tiled floor. Suddenly, she heard the hospital room door creak open behind her.

"Aki? Honey, are you leaving?" Martha's almost exasperated voice asked. Aki breathed, and began to speak without turning to face the elder woman, "Yeah."

"No, you're not." The firm reply was stern and decisive, stubborn in every sense of the word. Aki slowly rotated to make eye contact with Yusei's guardian. Martha simply meandered back to the bench, sat down, and patted the seat next to her.

The redhead hesitated before joining Martha on the bench. They sat in silence for a moment as Aki glared at the floor, counting the shoe rubs on the white tiles. Finally, the older female broke the silence, "Why were you leaving?"

Another breath escaped the pale girl's lips. She bit her lower lip and made no effort to answer the question. Martha's dark eyes shifted suspiciously, studying Aki carefully out of the corner of her eye, "Are you thinking of leaving my son?"

Aki bolted upright, her eyes glued wide. She watched Martha for a few minutes in awe, wondering what she meant but passing it off as she stuttered, "Leaving him?"

Martha barely restrained a chuckle, "I see the way you look at my boy. And I see the way he looks at you."

The young duelist wrenched her head away, her eyes returning to the floor once again, "Yusei doesn't see me any different than anyone else. I'm just another person he saved along the way."

"You think Yusei doesn't care about you."

Aki's mouth tensed into a frown as her eyes narrowed, knowing that the woman said the truth. She swallowed the lump in her throat and muttered, "But, he doesn't."

When Aki felt Martha's hand on her shoulder, she folded her hands awkwardly and continued, feeling suddenly prompted to spill her guts, "Yusei has so many people that care about him. He has so many people to support him. Other than dueling, the only thing that distinguishes me from any other girl is this mark on my arm. Yusei taught me that it meant something. That I was meant to have it and that made me…special. He's so smart, and so noble and honorable and all those things. There's no way he would ever-"

"Aki Izayoi. You have no idea what goes through that boy's head, do you? Honey, I love my boys to death, but, men are like bricks. They won't budge unless you pick them up and move them. We women are like Jello. At the simplest touch we go all over the place with emotions."

The girl knit her eyebrows together, "But...what that girl, Sherry La Blanc said, about Turbo-Dueling. Before I got my license, she and Yusei shared that experience of dueling. What do I have that-"

"Don't you dare. I don't know this Sherry girl, but I know for a fact that if she was trying to come on to my Yusei, he wouldn't have it."

"What about Bruno? And Jack and Crow? Any time that Yusei spends with them is more important than-"

"That's enough. I won't tolerate another self-pitying word from you, missy. I know for a fact that, with the way Yusei looks at you and with the way he talks about you, there is no way he cares about anyone else more than you. You're not the person he goes to the corner store to get you a pack of cards or a box of ramen. You're the girl that he would go to the ends of the earth just for a glimpse of you."

Aki sniffed, trying to restrain the burning sensation in her eyes, "He'd do the same for anyone else."

With that, Martha gave an exasperated sigh, "Aki, I know you won't listen to anything I say right now. But if you only hear one thing, let me tell you right now. Go in there. Go see him. If you leave, it means you're abandoning him."

As salty liquid began to breach the blockades of her eyelids, her mouth twisted as she rasped, "But he won't want to see me."

Martha stood to her feet and repeated her frustrated sigh, mumbling under her breath in a volume that the young girl couldn't hear, "If that's the way you feel, then you will never hear…whose name he called when he first woke up."

As Yusei's guardian walked down the hall, Aki 's head fell in her hands. How was she supposed to go in there? Not only was she a nobody, but she had also been the one to cause this. If only she hadn't asked him.

She had begun to feel special, privileged. It had become routine. Every other week. He would meet her for a Turbo Duel, to practice, of course. Sometimes he would help her with homework too. But this time, she had been so accustomed to him helping her, she thought that perhaps it wouldn't be too much trouble to ask for a duel on a week that wasn't planned. She knew he had better stuff to do. She knew he had to work on more important things. But still, she was disappointed. In doing so, she finally convinced Yusei to come right before he had to work in his shop on some Duel Runner matter. He stood her up. She waited there for an hour before she got a phone call from a number she didn't recognize that told her that Yusei was in the hospital.

Without asking questions or identities, Aki had rushed to the nearest hospital and thus, here she was. Now here was Yusei, probably in horrifying agony, because of her.

Giving a light sniffle, she gradually rose from her seat and walked over to the door to his room. Her eyes lingered on the room numbers, embossed in a gold metallic, before her chocolate eyes travelled to the gold-colored doorknob. Her hand shook lightly as her hand hovered around the doorknob, as if she was afraid it would break if she touched it. Finally, she closed her eyes, took a deep breath and opened the door.

Yusei's bed was on the other side of the room, where the guys had taken seats as they sat around and goofed off. There was a small couch on the left side of the room, opposite from the bed and out of the way. The girl swerved daintily into a spot on the couch and studied the fabric, terrified to look and see what she had done to Yusei. Heaving a deep sigh, she closed her eyes, still trying to remain unnoticed.

"Feeling guilty?"

The voice jolted her from her thoughts as she turned to observe the man leaning against the wall next to her. She could have sworn he was paler than she was. The hair, though much longer, was a dead giveaway, even though she had only seen him once. Kiryu.

"I know you're wondering why I'm here." His hands stretched a quick moment before he stuffed his hands into his jacket pocket. Aki's eyes widened, "You're the one who called. About-"

"I found him off-road. The Duel Runner's scrap metal now. He must have still been semi-conscious. As they were loading him into the ambulance, he grabbed my arm-his eyes looked worse than the dead- and, well, there was only one person he wanted me to call."

Most of what Kiryu said went straight over the girl's head, "So, you've been here all this time?"

He nodded, "I stayed downstairs. Hospitals are like prisons. We don't get along."

Without any clarification, he sauntered out, pausing once to look back, "Yusei's a good kid. Don't insult his intelligence or his heart. Not having you would be his worst loss."

Once again, right over her head. Suddenly, the noise that the boys were making, well, that Crow was making, drew her attention back to Yusei's hospital bed. Finally, she mustered up the courage to look at him. She had forgotten how much she longed to see his face. He had the hospital bed propped up as far as he possibly could. His leg and left arm were in a cast and she winced as she saw the small cuts and bruises all over his face. She could see a bit of the bandages on his torso under the hospital gown where they had done surgery to stop the internal bleeding. His bright blue eyes were now lackluster and he looked as though he was just trying his best to stay conscious.

His voice was soft and quiet, like a wooden wind chime in the distance, but she could recognize it from a mile away. With the amount of noise that Crow was making, she couldn't hear exactly what he said, but she figured it must have been something that expressed his exhaustion, for all three guys began to file out of the room. Catching the drift, Aki stood and slowly followed, her eyes drooping to the floor.

"Aki."

A voice stopped her. She turned around, almost in slow motion, like the sappy overdramatic movies she had heard about. Her wide eyes caught sight of his gaze, his eyes glazed over with fatigue and something that vaguely resembled…weakness. His lips moved slowly, the sound so quiet yet reverberating through the room and echoing in her head, "Don't go."

His words were so unlike him. The tone was the same as always, but his words…so vulnerable. Her heels clacked like thunder with every step she took towards him. Her hands got clammy once again and she could feel her arms shaking. She pulled a chair closer and sat down, folding her hands neatly in her lap. For a minute, Aki sat and waited, her eyes gravitating to her shoes once again as she thought of how he had ended up in this position.

"I-I'm sorry, Yusei." She mumbled. She took a glance up at him, chancing the possibility of him being mad at her. Instead, the expression on his face was so unnerving and uncomfortable, as if he was peeling her skin away little by little, like an orange, and seeing straight through her. He then closed his eyes and relaxed a moment.

Feeling prompted by his silence, she took a deep breath and continued, "I know I'm a burden to you and I know I'm not beautiful and I'm not important and I'm not a great Turbo Duelist and-"

"Aki." This time, his voice was tender and forceful at the same time, with a tinge of shock, "You got your license, that's proof enough. Also, I already told you when we first really met, when we dueled in the Fortune Cup. You are beautiful. And you are incredibly important…to me."

Aki's stunned brown eyes rose to take in all the features of his face. His jet black bangs hung over his eyes, and his breathing was heavy, but he was sincere. Her eyes burned and a few drops of liquid trickled down her cheeks. She tried to stifle a whimper but it came through her words, "But, you could've been killed, all because of me."

"No." he was firm and short, offering no explanation because of his fatigue. She tried to hide another sob as her excuses continued, "But, I'm so worthless and all I do is hurt the people I love."

With that, she felt his large, warm hand grab her wrist and tug her off the chair and onto the bed. He grasped her waist held her close to him. She could feel his heart beating like a hurricane against her head. His hand rose to stroke the back of her hair, over and over. He closed his eyes and leaned his chin on her head.

Stunned and petrified with shock, Aki's tense body didn't move as Yusei pulled her closer and nuzzled his nose into her hair. He moved to rub his face around in her scarlet red mane before caressing his face against hers with some sort of mixed passion. For him, it was as if he was chiding her and embracing her at the same time. Finally, he laid his head back on the pillow and drew her close to look him straight in the eye. His breathing was heavy and his eyes were half-lidded, "I'm sick of having to duel you for you to believe the truth."

Aki, still astounded, stared at the black-haired duelist in awe, her lips slightly parted in astonishment. Yusei studied her face for a moment before he took the opportunity to blow her mind to smithereens. His good hand caressed her back and her shoulders, massaging and squeezing passionately and innocently when appropriate.

She had no idea his lips could do that. The electricity that jolted from his lips to hers sent shocking ripples throughout her body. Their lips moved like a Tango dance, grazing and stroking each other as though one taste wasn't enough. A deep, gentle moan escaped his throat before he gradually pulled away, his breathing even heavier.

His eyes locked on hers, his blue irises burning like fire. Her breathing was shallow, and she could've sworn she forgot how to take in air. Yusei raised his good hand to her face as he stroked the side of her cheek softly, "Aki. I have to help people, you know that. But this…this me… is reserved. It belongs to you. Don't forget that."

She closed her eyes and leaned into his touch, tears streaking down her face. Watching him now, she knew. She also knew that he would probably pass out from drowsiness if she didn't let him be. If she had any sanity left by now, it wouldn't have anything to say. She smiled and leaned forward, brushing her face affectionately against his own for a brief moment, "Sweet dreams, Yusei. I'll let you sleep."

His gaze pierced her for a few seconds, subtly giving a solemn request. She gave him a tender glance as a smirk peeled meekly across her lips, "I'll come back, tomorrow morning."

With that, his head fell back to the pillow as his eyes shut. She reached over and ran her fingers through his few strands of blond hair once before standing and exiting the room quietly. A part of her now ached even more for him. A shade of worry coated her face. When she was about to close his door, a nearby nurse stopped and glanced in the room a moment. Then she touched Aki's shoulder and leaned forward, whispering quietly, "Don't worry, Mr. Fudou's going to be fine. He's recovering well and we gave him pretty heavy painkillers, just to let you know."

** To be perfectly honest, this is one of the fanfictions that I've written that I personally connect to the most. If anyone wants to hear the story behind this one, you can PM me or review if you'd like. Or, you can just tell me what you thought of this little piece of mind. God bless you guys and have a wonderful Christmas! I'll be praying for ya!**


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